The Bridge House is a contemporary home designed by Peninsula Architects, located in a low key neighborhood of 1970’s era split level houses in Akron, Ohio. This home was designed to blend in with its surroundings yet stand out as a remarkable site response at the same time. Sited on the last piece of property in the neighborhood, the narrow, steeply sloped site is in the form of a ravine with a creek running through its middle.

The intuitive first response of building over the ravine rather than in it resulted in a design response that left the majority of existing grades and trees intact. One enters the site on a bridge suspended over the landscape of water and native plants. The structure is comprised of two wings — one with private sleeping spaces and the other more public family gathering spaces. These wings are connected by the living room form which hovers over the landscape.

What We Love: The Bridge House is a highly detailed structure that celebrates the connection of materials and the integration of the architecture into the landscape. Spanning across a ravine, we love how the design of this home not only preserves the site but maximizes it to create a unique living experience. A fantastic interior layout offers complete privacy for the bedroom spaces, keeping them separated from the main living spaces. Overall this is a beautifully designed home that fully harmonizes with its surroundings.

Tell Us: Do you like how the architects designed a bridge over the landscape to preserve what was existing? Please share your thoughts in the Comments below!